Are you aware that…

• All high voltage machines will

experience partial discharges – even
from new!
• Discharge levels increase over time until
eventually failure occurs.

Can you afford the consequences?

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 check-up of stator insulation
by partial discharge measurement

• pd test is non-destructive
• tests possible: on-line and off-line
• determines insulation condition
• identifies detrimental trends

• an indispensable tool for maintenance

planning – underpins maintenance contracts

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 Machine Insulation,
a complex structure!

• defect retardant materials are used: MICA

• various processes are applied
– resin rich (pre-impregnated tapes)
– VPI, global VPI (vacuum pressure impregnation)
– old machines: mica splittings, asphalt shellac
• all materials and structures are subjected to
stresses and age!

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 Examples: slot section/generators and motors
wedges/
wedge tightness testing insulation/
winding copper

iron

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 Examples: Endwinding
slot exit

tapes and coatings for field grading!

spacers/blocks

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 identification of problems and aging processes

• TEAM stresses of the insulation

– Thermal, temperature
– Electrical, electric field
– Ambiant (environment)
– Mechanical, vibrations
lead to:
• electrical discharges (PD) whicn in consequence are an indicator for
such stresses
• these indicators are not the cause but the consequence of stresses
(TEAM).
• severe defects are always localised, a global aging does practically not
exist
• diagnosis and monitoring analyse causes & effects of defects or aging.

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 What is partial discharge?
Partial Discharge is a local brakdown phenomenon which
short circuits a part of an insulation and leads to ageing
and accompanies ageing! Partial discharge takes place in
defects of the insulation.

• formation ionised species

– formation of corrosives
ions, acids, nitrogen oxides, ozone
– light, sound and electromagnetic waves
are emitted

• we use these effects for identification and localisation of

partial discharges (=insulation defects):
antennae, chemical sensors, ultrasonic devices,
cameras..
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 analysis: partial discharge patterns:
impulse statistics in dependence of voltage phase and amplitude

Q pattern: 2-D

E(t)
E0

N/s
Emax
Eres
~

de
itu
pattern: 3-D

pl
am
phase angle
pd in a bubble in a solid insulator
leads to continuous discharging under
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 sources of partial discharge

• loose wedges, bar vibration

• contamination, damage of endwindings
• discharges between phases, cracks, too low
distances
• aging and delamination of slot insulation

types of similar signals:

• collector sparking and arcing
• bushing and busbar insulator sparking

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 Where can you find discharges (PD)?
PD classification of defects (slot)

A: Very high local electric field

A B: Delamination: conductor - insulation

(electromechanical/thermal stress)

C: Delamination of insulation layers

B (Thermal Stress)

C D: Treeing – a long term deterioration

process
F
D E: Broken conductors
G
G: Bubbles, air inclusions

typical slot section F: slot discharges erosion of semi-

conducting varnishes
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 classification of defects (endwinding)

I
H Iron
Field
Grading

J
semiconducting
coating H: ventilation duct

I: delamination of (hand-made)
K insulation in elbow region

J: surface discharges on corona

protective layer

K: insufficient spacing

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 Defect Examples: Slot Discharges

mechanical defects
•semi-conducting varnishes
•loosened wedges
•erosion caused by vibrations
•slot discharges

monitoring systems
•vibration monitor
•partial discharge
•ozone/oxides of nitrogen

diagnostic systems
•wedge tightness robot
•with camera and pd localiser
•spéciality: ripple spring

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 Slot Discharge Pattern

• distinct asymmetry, pd bigger

in negative halfcycle
• triangular shaped
• sharp rise at beginning
• created by bar vibration

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 Visual Inspection: better before PD occurs

displacement of
wedges

Mechanical weakness always leads to pd, visual

inspection should be carried out whenever possible:

- identification of weak points

- executed during extended outage
- done according to checklist
see: Endoscopy/Video/Wedge Tightness
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 typical pd patterns: delamination of conductors
and main insulation

damage autopsy
discharge in insulation

multiple start-stop sequences lead close to endwinding

to:
differential stresses (thermo-
mechanical), these detach insulation
from winding, result: partial
discharge
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 Delamination of Main Insulation

aging, delamination 4 mm

4 mm

www.pdtech.ch Detached insulation layers by thermal stress

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 Delamination &
PD Traces
1 mm
2 mm

2 mm
500 µm

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 PD Pattern: endwinding discharge

ESKOM/SA

traces of corrosion by pd

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 PD Pattern: Multiple Problems

PD Patterns allow to identify multiple problems

slot discharge endwinding slot + endwinding

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 PD Pattern: Endwinding Problems

PD due to oil deposition and dirt acumulation on endwinding

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 Endwinding Problems

inadequate field
grading:
surface discharge

insufficient space
to ground:
strong sparking
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 Endwinding Continued

after 20 months

severe corrosion of coating by PD

after 30 months
50x increase of PD

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 Endwinding: Effect of Cleaning

Solution:
Diagnosis: CO2 Cleaning Measurable
Pollution Success

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 Basic Research
„Detection of electrical tree propagation by
partial discharge measurements“

in cooperation with
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zürich

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 Research goal: Life Assessment

- evaluating effects of main destruction due

to high voltage in coil winding insulation
=> describing the effects in detail

- finding criteria to measure the destruction

process in the insulation
=> by use of partial discharge (PD)
measurements

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 Treeing: a real machine problem

2 mm

2 mm

treeing traces in service aged generator

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 Traces of treeing in coil winding insulations

500 µm 500 µm 500 µm

Tree channel in a resin Tree channel in a Tree channel in a

rich coil winding vacuum pressure service aged mica-
insulation impregnation coil bitumen coil winding
(50 µm < ø < 80 µm) winding insulation insulation
(80 µm < ø < 120 µm) (100 µm <ø< 200 µm)

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 Approach

- investigation of electrical treeing in epoxy resin

- simultaneous measurements of treeing state and
partial discharges
- relation of results to coil winding insulation

electrical treeing in the model electrical treeing in coil windings

treeing path
treeing path

Cu

- tree propagates through the epoxy around barrier(s)

- hollow tree channels cause local breakdowns – PD
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 Simulation of Breakdown

electrical stress

mecanical & electrical

stress

electrical, mechanical &

thermal stress

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 Life Time Simulation and Experiment
40
Experiment
35 [Kimura95]
30 Simulation
Life Time [a.u.]
25
20
15
10
5
0
stress type: E E+T E+M E+T+M
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 Stages of tree propagation in epoxy up to final breakdown

10 min

26 min
branch

1 mm
39 min
channel
Growth of electrical tree
1 mm
branches through the
material to the opposite
electrode Change of structure 1 mm
from branches to pipe-
shaped tree channels
First continuous hollow
channel leads to final
breakdown (10 s before
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 PD at treeing with long breakdown time - with barrier
long life time, systematic pd – diagnosis possible

final breakdown
100 1
90 Stage 2 Stage 3 0.9
relative tree length [%]

80 0.8
max. apparent charge
70 (1p.u. = 1000pC) 0.7

PD-values [p.u.]
60 0.6
prolongation
50 effect of barrier 0.5
40 relative tree length 0.4
30 mean apparent charge (1 0.3
p.u. = 100 pC)
20 0.2
10 0.1
0 0
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200 220
time [min]
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 PD pattern of machine insulation and tree propagation
amplitude

phase

Discharges within the Discharges during electrical tree

main insulation propagation
triangular patterns, nearly triangular patterns,
highest slope near voltage highest slope tending to
zeroes voltage zeroes

discharge activity within discharge activity during

layers of partially electrical tree propagation
delaminated insulation
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